ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Anderson University Women's Soccer program has been tabbed for third in the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by the South Atlantic Conference on Monday.
The Black and Gold sit third with 76 points, just behind No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne (92) and No. 1 Catawba (96) who received six first-place votes. Tabbed for fourth is Wingate (72), followed by Coker (66) and Carson-Newman (58) while Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum tied for the No. 7 spot with 42 points. Rounding out the poll is No. 9 Newberry and No. 11 Mars Hill.
Last season, the Trojans were given the No. 5 spot in the preseason poll before going 11-6-2 overall and 6-3-1 in SAC play. The Black and Gold finished the season 2nd in the league after a thrilling 2-3 loss to Catawba in the SAC Championship match and notching the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance
In addition to the rankings, the league also released the 2026 Preseason All-Conference Team, naming senior
Lauren Monday (Anderson, S.C.) and junior
Ansley Douty (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) to the Preseason Team after a successful 2025 campaign.
Monday rounded out the 2025 season earning All-Conference First Team and All-Region Third Team honors while. During the season, she tallied 1588 minutes on the pitch while recording a start in 19 games. She was second on the team with two game-winning goals while also tallying two goals and one assist. Defensively, Monday helped lead the Trojans to the programs first SAC Championship appearance and NCAA Tournament girth.
Douty completed her sophomore season after being named the SAC Offensive Player of the Week and earning All-Conference Second Team honors. She recorded 18 starts while logging 1288 minutes on the pitch and boasting seven goals with seven assists for 21 points on the season. Douty made a great contribution offensively to the program's first SAC Championship appearance and NCAA tournament girth.
Senior
Whitley Anderson (Eatonton, Ga.) was named Anderson's Player to Watch as part of the preseason announcement. Anderson started in all 19 games, scoring a single goal as a midfielder for the Trojans.
The Black and Gold kicks off its 2026 campaign at Lander University on Thursday, Aug. 27 with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. Conference play for the Trojans is set to begin on Sunday, Sept. 6 when they host fellow SAC opponent Coker in an early afternoon matchup.
2026 SAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Catawba (6) 96
2. Lenoir-Rhyne (4) 92
3. Anderson 76
4. Wingate (1) 72
5. Coker 66
6. Carson-Newman 58
7t. Lincoln Memorial 42
7t. Tusculum 42
9. Newberry 26
10. Emory & Henry 23
11. Mars Hill 12
2026 SAC Preseason All-Conference Team
F – Bree Ehmer, Catawba
F – Katie Durham, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Ellie Polk, Wingate
F – Ansley Douty, Anderson
MF – Ava Hartman, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Ella Wilke, Coker MF – Ella Matthews, Catawba
MF – Hannah Denton, Coker
D – Reese Robinson, Catawba
D – Lucy Hack, Catawba
D – Lauren Monday, Anderson
D – Ali Skinner, Catawba
GK – Madison Gutierrez, Newberry
Players to Watch
Anderson
Whitley Anderson
Carson-Newman
Alayna Corbitt, Malia Kim, Iris Palsdottir
Coker
Emma Brandt, Alexis Spivey
Emory & Henry
Bella Fairley, Cristina Ciofani, Elloree Kieffer
Lenoir-Rhyne
Mya Rivera Ingrid Krakhellen Rosa Gonzalez
Lincoln Memorial
Donna van der Zalm, Emma Cooke, Jade Brown
Mars Hill
Kayleigh Mallare, Sailor Clare, Avery Brechbiel
Newberry
Molly Quartly, Mikaela Warburton
Tusculum
Carme Escamilla, Kirsten Sadlon, Brynn Stokes
Wingate
Angela Maino, Katie Ensalaco, Audur Halldorsdottir
